1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of securing safety restraints on child care devices.
2. The Relevant Technology
Child care devices (e.g., car seats, strollers, carriers, boosters, bouncers, swings, etc.) have become popular for transporting and entertaining children. Child care devices typically incorporate safety restraint mechanisms (e.g., harnesses, straps, etc.) that are configured to secure children within the devices. While safety restraints are integral to protecting children during the use of child care devices, safety restraints present several drawbacks. For example, safety restraints often impede the insertion of children into (and the removal of children from) child care devices. As such, safety restraints can cause discomfort for children and inconvenience for caregivers. Moreover, many safety restraints that are employed by child care devices incorporate rigid members (e.g., fasteners, buckles, etc.) that, when misaligned, have the potential to injure children during insertion into and/or removal from child care devices.
One problem with existing systems, for example, is that safety restraints (e.g., straps) have a tendency to fall towards the center of child care devices—where the child is typically positioned—due in part to the effects of gravity on the safety restraints and on any attached members (e.g., fasteners, buckles, etc.). For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a child's car seat (and carrier) that includes straps and buckles for restraining a child during use of the car seat. As depicted, when no child is in the car seat, the straps and buckles naturally fall within the center region of the car seat. The straps and buckles, therefore, often get in the way of a child being properly inserted into the car seat.
While holding the child in one hand, a caregiver may use his or her other hand to move the straps and buckles out the way, and then carefully and quickly insert the child into the car seat (i.e., between the straps and buckles) before the straps and buckles are able to fall back into the center region of the car seat. However, the straps and buckles often fall back into the center region of the car seat before the caregiver is able to fully insert the child. As such, the caregiver must again move the straps and buckles, this time out from underneath the child, before finally fastening the child into the car seat.
This process can be extremely difficult and inconvenient for the caregiver—particularly when the child is being uncooperative—and can cause significant discomfort for the child. Furthermore, because buckles (or any other type of fastening device) may have abrupt edges and are typically hard (often being made of metal and/or hard plastics) buckles may even cause injury to the child. In either case, the foregoing process can involve an undesired amount of time and can often upset the child, which further complicates use of existing child care devices.
Likewise, when removing the child from the car seat, the straps and buckles can also be problematic. For instance, after unfastening the straps and buckles from the child and attempting to remove the child from the car seat, it is not uncommon for a child's arm or leg to get caught within the straps and buckles that remain resting on the child after they are unfastened. This can cause additional inconvenience, discomfort, and the possibility of injury.